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Hi all! My girlfriend and I leave for Europe tomorrow for a month! We will begin our journey in Paris, make our way down to Lucerne and then Gimmelwald, then head to Vernazza, Florence, Rome and Venice, back up to Salzburg, then to Munich and Bacharach and finally finish up in Amsterdam.
We have been planning this trip for about a year now and have all transportation and accommodations booked. I'll admit I'm pretty anxious/nervous today, but think I will feel better once we are on the plane. I have been checking the weather and it looks like it has been a little cooler and wetter than we originally expected, but won't let that affect our trip. Just wondering if anyone has any general last minute tips or words of advice? Take care!
Well I'm young too,but I would rather spend a whole month in perhaps 3 or 4 cities lol.
But anyway it's not my trip.Do you speak Italian?It looks like you're gonna stay in Italy for the longest.
No, no Italian for me lol. Here is our itinerary. Places like Salzburg and Venice everyone says 2 days tops before you will be bored, so that's why the turn around is pretty quick for us.
August 13: Fly out
August 14: Arrive in Paris
August 15: Paris
August 16: Paris
August 17: Paris
August 18: Paris
August 19: Travel Day: Paris-Lucerne
August 20: Lucerne
August 21: Travel Day: Lucerne-Gimmelwald (Swiss Alps)
Also, unfortunately I will have a backpack. I don't think I will be a desirable target though.
If the backpack has a back pocket, keep it empty, or don't put anything important or valuable there. Besides, you're not going out with it every day. You're just going to be taking it to and from the train or airport.
Where are you going to be staying? Budget hotels? Hostels?
OMG, you're rushing through some of the best parts! Only 1 day in Salzburg? I day in Gimmelwald? I always loved to take my time in places like that, and soak up the atmosphere and the scenery, even being young and high-octane! Exploring the hiking trails, sampling wares in the bakeries, enjoying the views.
Maybe you'll decide what your favorite places were, and go back for a longer stay in your favorites, next time.
If the backpack has a back pocket, keep it empty, or don't put anything important or valuable there. Besides, you're not going out with it every day. You're just going to be taking it to and from the train or airport.
Where are you going to be staying? Budget hotels? Hostels?
Will do about the back pocket, thanks for the tip. We are staying in two hostels. The rest are B&B's, guestrooms and budget hotels. We are going to try to get to Gimmelwald really early to hike that day and then have the full next day to either hike or whatever. Salzburg we also will have a full day and then most of the second. The second half of the trip is a little more jam packed, but we are also hoping to unwind a little more in those places and do less of the sightseeing stuff.
We are staying in two hostels. The rest are B&B's, guestrooms and budget hotels.
Fabulous! You'll have fun and will meet great people in places like that. Does either of you know any languages? It helps if you can talk to your hosts in those guestrooms and B & B's.
Better pick up the local languages. Pick up French, German and Italian phrasebooks. If you're an Anglophone, it's not difficult to learn the basics of these languages. Study them on the flight, on trains, and practice speaking with people. You will find your travels much more rewarding if you make the effort to speak their language.
Another tip - you don't have to leave the backpack in the hotel as long as there's nothing valuable in it. Take it with you and put a couple of two-liter water bottles in it. Bottled water is extremely expensive, and it's difficult to find places that give you tap water for free or cheap. Refill them every morning at your hotel and take them with you for the day. Walking around in the summer heat will make you extremely thirsty.
Last edited by arctic_gardener; 08-12-2014 at 09:24 PM..
About bottled water,the bottled water in markets(like franprix in France) is very cheap,you can get a big bottle of water(2 litre) with just 22 cents.
But the small bottles they sell on the streets are always ridiculously expensive,so refill your bottles every morning before you go out is the smartest way.
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